Temple MIS

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MIS students win big at the National AIS Student Leadership Conference and Competition

AIS Competition 2017

Two MIS student teams won big at the Eighth Annual Association for Information Systems (AIS), Student Chapter Leadership Conference and Competition, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, April 13-15, 2017.

1st Place – AmerisourceBergen Analytics Challenge (Analysis Track)

2nd Place – Security Case Study

The above two competitions included two phases. In the first phase, student teams submitted entries virtually. The finalists were chosen from the virtual entries and invited to present their work for another round of judging at the above conference. Other finalists included University of Georgia, Roger Williams University, University of Cincinnati, University of Michigan, Florida International University, Brigham Young University, and others.

MIS senior presents research at major national conference

Erick KoeckReceiving notable recognition for a research paper is not what senior Eric Koeck originally set out to do.

What started as Koeck’s summer research project turned into a presentation he delivered at the 2017 Winter American Marketing Association (AMA) Conference in Orlando. The paper, “Tweets, Retweets, and the Brand Positioning of the 2016 U.S. Presidential Candidates,” is co-authored with two professors from Temple University’s Fox School of Business – Dr. David Schuff and Dr. Susan Mudambi.

Koeck, a 22-year-old senior who majors in Management Information Systems (MIS), utilized different tools to scour the Twitter feeds of each presidential candidate. Then, he analyzed the difference between word choice and how those words affected the virality of their tweets. To do this, candidates were split into two groups: insurgent candidates (or those who never held political office with their respective political parties) and establishment candidates (those who had).

“I’m very interested in data analytics and I wanted to complete a project that would give me the opportunity to work with that,” said Koeck, a Collegeville, Pa., native. “I was forming this project when the presidential primaries were in full swing. I’m interested in politics and an active Twitter user. It lined up nicely as something into which I could really immerse myself.”

The main findings, Koeck said, showed that insurgent candidates were more likely to express both positive and negative emotion, as well as gender references, while establishment candidates were more likely to express affiliation. In addition, the traits most positively linked to retweets were negative emotion and female gender references.

Impressed organizers of the AMA conference waived Koeck’s fee, and his travel expenses to and from the conference were sponsored by Temple’s Creative Arts, Research, And Scholarship program.

The three-day event provided eye-opening exposure for Koeck.

“It was a really great experience,” he said. “I learned a lot about academia and business research. One professor from a university in Canada asked me to send her my presentation, because she was interested in her students following the election closely.”

While Koeck remains humble, his capabilities, as they pertain to research, have not gone unnoticed.

“They were both wonderful,” Koeck said of working with Mudambi and Schuff, Professor of MIS. “Dr. Schuff has been mentoring me on this project the whole way through, and Dr. Mudambi helped us integrate different marketing concepts into the paper so that it was appropriate for AMA. Dr. Schuff’s work is relevant to my interest in analytics and statistics, which made sense for our collaboration. I was really glad when he agreed to work on this with me.”

As the trio work to get the paper published in an academic journal, Koeck prepares to present the project to state legislators at Temple Undergraduate Research Day April 24.

Future opportunities for Koeck, a graduating senior, already have sprouted. Said Koeck: “Starting in September, I’ll be working for PricewaterhouseCoopers in their Advanced Risk and Compliance Analytics practice. I interned there last summer and had a good experience so I’m excited to start my career there.”

— Carine Lavache

GenEd Data Science Course Scores National Award

David SchuffDavid Schuff’s Data Science course has not only helped students pinpoint prime scoring positions for the Owls basketball team and identify Al Qaeda’s recruitment hot spots, it has also recently garnered national attention at the 4th Annual Business Intelligence Congress. At the conference, Schuff won the Teradata University Network Innovation in Teaching Award for his paper outlining the course, “Data Science for All: A University-Wide Course in Data Literacy,” in recognition for its innovative course design and unique place in Temple’s general education curriculum.

“This award validates the idea that analytics should be taught to a very broad audience,” said Schuff, Ph.D., professor of Management Information Systems.

Offering Data Science as a gen ed is ahead of the curve, Schuff added, as many universities are only beginning to launch graduate programs in data analytics and have no undergraduate courses.

The course equips students to harness the power of big data and to present data-driven arguments in a compelling manner, through a combination of theory and hands-on learning activities, including lessons on widely available software, such as Tableau and Excel. By the end of the course, students should be comfortable working with and presenting data as well as evaluating its trustworthiness.

Data Science Example“We are basically surrounded by data and our lives are infused by it,” Schuff said. “This course can make you more savvy about the way you navigate the world.”

For Alexander Monsell ’15, a recent graduate of Temple’s theater program, the course helped him to articulate arguments with more certainty.

“It’s…helpful in an industry where so much is based on feeling and emotional response to be able to back things up with hard numbers,” Monsell said. “‘The audience seemed to like the piece’ just isn’t as powerful as ‘90 percent of showings had standing ovations.’”

The course has grown in popularity over the years, with 240 students enrolled in spring 2016 compared to 30 students when the course launched in fall 2015.

After enrolling, Charlotte Myer, a Sophomore majoring in Political Science, saw how data science could apply to her undergraduate research.

“It’s an excellent primer for any kind of data-driven field,” she said. “It helps make the quantifiable more understandable.”

Learn more at: http://community.mis.temple.edu/datascience/

– Elizabeth Hillaker Downs

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Studying the evolution of digital artifacts with ‘big data’

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded a three-year grant totaling nearly $900,000 to trace human behaviors through big data. This marks the fourth NSF-awarded grant in the last five years that an interdisciplinary team of Temple faculty members has received to study the evolution of digital artifacts using large-scale digital trace data. The collaboration joins researchers from the Fox School’s Management Information Systems Department and College of Science and Technology (CST).

“When humans interact with digital systems, we leave a trace. Every call we make, every website we visit, it’s stamped with time and space information,” said Dr. Youngjin Yoo, the Harry A. Cochran Professor of Management Information Systems at the Fox School, and the research grant’s primary investigator. “What we do is constantly changing, and the trace data can act as DNA. What we focus on through this research is the repeat behaviors in humans that can be captured through digital trace data.

“Using those evolutionary patterns, we believe we can predict future behaviors of individuals and organizations. For example, by detecting the changes of commute patterns of individuals, we can predict overall public-transit systems’ performance in the future. Similarly, we want to be able to predict the changes in individual behaviors based on environmental changes. 

Yoo said he and the grant’s co-principal investigators will study digitally enabled processes in complex digital systems, which “are like a living ecosystem, in that they constantly evolve,” he said. If patterns in the trace data represent what they call “behavioral genes,” Yoo said, alterations to those behavioral routines are “gene mutations.” Eventually, he said, the research team envisions developing software that will better predict the changes to those behavioral genes.

The benefits in doing so, according to Yoo, “are endless.” In a healthcare application, trace data could develop a pattern by which a patient sees a doctor or produce an average cost of care per patient. In an industry sense, such “gene mutations” could impact performance and cost.

“On the surface,” Yoo said, “all smart phones, for example, look the same. But everybody’s phone is different because of apps. It used to be that the product’s designer would make the product, and that was the end of the story. Now, it’s only the beginning. Millions of apps are downloaded. They’re changing constantly.

“Our argument is that, particularly in digital space, innovation never remains the same. It constantly changes and takes different forms.”

The research team includes: Yoo; Dr. Sunil Wattal, Associate Professor of Management Information Systems at the Fox School; Dr. Zoran Obradovic, Laura H. Carnell Professor of Data Analytics at CST; and Dr. Rob Kulathinal, Assistant Professor of Biology at the College of Science and Technology.

The NSF-awarded research grant runs through Jan. 31, 2018.

– Christopher A. VitoAdd New

New MS Digital Innovation in Marketing is a next generation 100% online program

FOX MS Digital Innovation in MarketingThe new Master of Science – Digital Innovation in Marketing is a new type of 100% online degree that prepares digital marketing leaders and innovators. The program prepares students on how to apply exciting new technologies and measure with sophisticated analytics. The next generation online approach focuses on high engagement, networking, and professional development. The program is designed for working professionals who want to learn part-time.

  • Become a leader in driving technology enabled transformation of the marketing function
  • Develop a digital marketing plan
  • Apply the latest digital innovations such as mobile, social media, location based services, and big data to marketing campaigns
  • Integrate marketing, advertising, sales and logistics across physical and digital channels
  • Collect, analyze, and interpret digital marketing data to inform decision-making.

A team of nationally recognized digital marketing innovators will guide the program and students.

If you are ready for the revolution, click here.

Robert Moore, CEO of RJMetrics, a Valued Mentor and Partner at FOX MIS

Robert-MooreRobert Moore is founder and CEO of the thriving startup RJMetrics, but he still manages to find time for mentoring Temple students. Luckily, the man is no stranger to multi-tasking.

An entrepreneur since high school, Moore began his first web design firm before turning eighteen, then created and sold Poker odds software while studying at Princeton.

“Entrepreneurship is in my blood,” he said, adding: “If you knew what you were in for [when starting a business]…you’d have to be a bit out of your mind.”

It’s an inspiring kind of “insanity.” In 2009, Moore directed his formidable energy into his first “potential billion-dollar idea”: RJMetrics, a cloud-based software solution for small-to-medium sized companies.

“I noticed a trend of fast-growing companies not being able to understand their data to run their businesses better. The Fortune Five Million is really underserved in that universe. We started with a very real problem and built the right solution for it.”

RJMetrics provides a web-based service that empowers its clients to analyze customer data and make better decisions through that data analysis; they serve companies that range from mom-and-pop shops to medium-sized corporations.

“We use ingenuity and the cloud, and we take advantage of open-source software,” said Moore, noting the timeliness of his company’s inception. “The business can only exist in this time.”

For the Fox School’s Management Information Systems department, RJMetrics is a kind of pedagogical turnkey: the perfect real-world example of core concepts and methodologies taught in David Schuff’s Data Analytics course.

“[Robert] came in and did a guest talk in the class,” said Professor Schuff. “We also created two projects that are linked to what RJMetrics does: in the first exercise, our students use RJMetrics’ database that feeds the trial version of their product to perform a sophisticated data analysis in Excel. In the second exercise, students use their knowledge of data visualization to evaluate the effectiveness of the graphs and charts in RJMetrics’ dashboard.”

Thanks to Moore’s willingness to mentor at the university, it’s become a fruitful partnership. This past year, Moore delivered the keynote address at Temple’s Analytics Challenge, addressing the growing “data exhaust” that’s collecting and being stored in the cloud: “[It] changes the way that data can and is used…[and] changes the future of business.”

Moore’s knowledge, expertise, and savvy are valuable assets to Temple’s students—but the symbiosis is mutually beneficial. “It’s awesome to see that kind of passion for knowledge [in the students],” said Moore. “It kind of makes me feel young again: to be in the room with a bunch of students who are clearly very smart, very driven, and have a lot to learn. And the other side of the coin? We hire a lot of Temple students.”

For Schuff, the possibilities are numerous. When asked what was cooking for his newest roster of incoming students, Schuff said: “We definitely plan to engage with RJMetrics in future classes.”

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New Cyber Security Track features Cyberwar course

Gregory Senko
Gregory Senko

ITACS is proud to offer a new Cyber Security Track.

As the field of cyber-security greets new threats and regulations every single day, Temple’s Information Technology Auditing and Cyber-Security program is dedicated to staying ahead of the curve. In pursuit of this goal, the program has created a brand new Cyber Security Track, now offered to ITACS’ ever-growing student body (whose numbers soared from 11 students in 2012 to approximately 50 this year).

With Associate Director Gregory Senko perched at the helm, the new Cyber Security Track features an exciting Cyberwar course in the Spring Semester, alongside other cutting-edge courses, including:

Data Analytics for IT Auditors – Basic data analysis concepts are presented and then applied. Examines the emerging approach of continuous audit and using data analytics to investigate datasets produced by audit and security controls.

  • Intrusion Detection & Response – Students learn the variety of tool and techniques used to prevent attacks, quickly identify successful attacks, detect advanced persistent threats and monitor systems activity.
  • Securing the Digital Infrastructure – Examines issues related to securing the components of a company’s infrastructure, reviewing network, firewall, and basic operating system security issues.
  • Ethical Hacking – Introduces students to hacking strategies and tactics used by ethical or “White Hat” hackers. A theoretical and exercise-based exploration of Security Penetration through vulnerability exploitation. 
  • Cyber Security Capstone – Reviews all topics covered in the track; prepares for SSCP exam; requires students to research an emerging topic in the field of IT assurance.

ITACS continues to post impressive achievement numbers, as 80% of ITACS students passed the CISA on their first try, and 100% secured jobs after graduation—figures that reflect not just the quality of the training but also mounting demand for professionals armed with ITACS skills. 

Data Science: Data Is Everywhere, Harness It!

 

Data pours in from social media, weather stations, government agencies, mobile phones, credit card purchases, and other new devices continuously. How do you make sense of it all?

Learn how to harness the power of data to understand the world around you and make better decisions. 

Create impactful and persuasive presentations by learning the key principles of presenting data visually.

 

I took this class because I was interested in the inner workings of data and how it becomes a useful tool. This interested me because I’m so invested in sports analytics and wanted to get a deeper understanding of how to analyze and gather data. The most important takeaway for me has been the process getting raw data all the way through presenting it cleanly for easy interpretation. I would highly recommend this class because of how relevant it is to the future of business in the world. There is so much that data can do and even to have a basic understanding really can help people better make decisions.

Raymond Dunne, Media Studies and Production, Klein ’22

 

 

I think the most important takeaway from this course is the relevancy of big data in today’s society and how it has, and will continue, to impact people in their everyday lives. Before this course I didn’t even know what big data was or how much data we generate ourselves on a daily basis without even being conscious of it. Further than that, I didn’t realize the extent to which firms are capitalizing off data and all the insight they can receive from various forms of data analysis. If I were to describe this course to someone I would say it’s about the life cycle of data and it’s significance in today’s society.

Picture of a student

Madison Cole, Business Management, Fox ’22

 

 

For me personally the most useful thing I took away from this course was an understanding of how to use tableau. It really is a useful piece of software if you want to display data graphically. In fact, just two weeks after we started to learn it I ended up using it for a paper in another one of my classes. However, I also think that the knowledge of how data is stored and how you are able to present it to people is one of the main conceptual takeaways from this course. If I had to explain this course to a prospective student, I would say that in general it teaches us how to take a large amount of potentially complicated data and put it into a form that is useful and easy to understand.

Jackson Potash, Computer Science, CST ’19

 

Course details

  • Course name and number: Data Science | MIS0855
  • Fall 2025 Sections
    • MIS 0855 | Section 002 | T/TH 2:00 pm – 3:20 pm | CRN 55278| Austin Culmer-Smith
    • MIS 0855 | Section 003 | T/TH 11:00 am – 12:20 pm | CRN 55279 | Xiduo Liu
    • MIS 0855 | Section 004 | MWF 1:00 pm – 1:50 pm | CRN 58730| Keith Gutierrez
    • MIS 0855 | Section 750 | M 5:30 pm – 8:00 pm | CRN 31116 | Larry Dignan
  • Pre-requisites: None. No technical background is required; you will get hands-on experience with easily available software.  
  • Fulfills: GenEd Science and Technology Requirement (GS)
  • Fulfills: An elective in the MIS Minor

Course goals

  • Apply data to make better decisions
  • Locate data relevant to you
  • Make predictions about the future
  • Combine data sets to discover new insights
  • Differentiate good data from bad data
  • Master data visualization
  • Work with common, powerful tools like Tableau and Microsoft Excel

MIS Minor

A minor in MIS provides undergraduate students the ability to identify, select, use, and apply information technology (IT) to their major field of study. The minor provides the skills and terminology needed to become a knowledgable user of IT in the business world and interact successfully with technology professionals in an organization.

Rossetti

I chose MIS as minor because we live in such a data-driven world, and in the accounting profession it is so important to know how obtain, analyze, and present data to deliver value to clients. A minor in MIS helped me differentiate myself and helped me improve my communication skills.
Louis Rosetti, Accounting major, MIS minor

WHO SHOULD MINOR IN MIS?

Business students will benefit from a minor in MIS. The minor in MIS will position you for jobs in business application areas, consulting positions, technical liaisons, and selling and acquisition of business software.

NikipielovA minor in MIS has complemented my actuarial skills with the knowledge of beneficial technologies and applications like Tableau, RStudio, and SQL. Being familiar with these tools helped me stand out during interviews.
Oleksandr Nikipielov, Actuarial Science major, MIS minor

WHAT IS IN IT FOR ME?

  • Understand the key information technologies used by organizations.
  • Learn how to specify technology solutions and engage with IT professionals.
  • Understand the importance of business processes
  • Identify how specific IT solutions are designed and implemented to increase efficiency and effectiveness.
  • Apply data analytics to collect, store, analyze, and disseminate organizational information.

MurphyThe MIS community is incredibly supportive. Whether you’re a major or minor in this program you will receive the same encouragement. I knew I wanted to become an MIS minor when introduced to cloud computing through Salesforce. This topic ignited a world of opportunities through a new passion!
Cassandra Murphy, Marketing major, MIS minor

CURRICULUM

More information, including course numbers, full course descriptions, and prerequisites, is available through the Temple Bulletin.

Required

  • Digital Systems (prerequisite to start minor)
  • Data and Analytics (also required for majors)
  • Digital Design and Innovation

Electives (select one)

  • Data Science (also fulfills GenEd Science and Technology (GS) requirement)
  • Cloud Architecture
  • Scripting for Data Science/Analytics
  • Defending Against Cyber Crime
  • Electronic Commerce Site Design
  • Strategic Management of Information Technology
  • Information Systems Innovation
  • Internet-Enabled Supply Chains
  • Social Media Innovation
  • Special Topics in MIS
  • Co-Operative Experience in MIS

Note: Some electives may have special pre-requisites, check the pre-requisites before registering.

HOW TO SIGN UP FOR THE MINOR

To take courses for the MIS minor, you must first declare your intent to minor in MIS. Non-Fox students do not need to take the Business Minor to pursue an MIS Minor.

Please refer to the MIS Minor in the Undergraduate Bulletin for more information.

Digital Business Strategy by Niraj Patel

MIS 5108: Digital Business Strategy on Mondays 6:00pm to 8:30pm at Temple Center City

Technology creates new business opportunities. Learn to be an Digital Business Strategy leader from Digital Business Strategy leaders. See how they exploit the power of technology to create new products and services.

  • Learn best practices from industry experts in a workshop format
  • Analyze and evaluate leading edge digitally enabled business models in multiple industries including small start-ups and the largest most successful digital business titans
  • Formulate new digital business strategy for your firm or in specific industries based on your interest and knowledge
  • Apply web 2.0, social media, and analytics as strategic levers in digital business models

Tentative list of guest speakers

The course will be taught as a practical workshop. You will analyze existing digital business strategies in the first half of the course. In the second half of the course, you will put on the master training wheels and repeatedly construct and deconstruct new digital business strategies. The course will feature a who’s who list of guest speakers and analysts who will help you evaluate and construct digital business strategy.

About Niraj Patel

Niraj PatelNiraj Patel, Co-founder of ISGN, is a leader in building global technology and services businesses especially in the mortgage and financial technology industries. He has more than 20 years’ experience in applying corporate management, entrepreneurship, and technology as business accelerators to generate organic and externally driven growth and investments. At ISGN, Niraj has deployed over $90 million in funding, and generated more than $100 million in revenue.

Niraj is also a founding partner of Witmer Partners. Witmer is responsible for launching 4 startups in the mortgage industry including Selene opportunity fund ($850 million), Selene finance, Helios (3x exit in 3 years) and Tavernier.

Prior to this Niraj was a part of the founding team of GMAC Commercial mortgage as executive vice-president and chief information officer. He was a key contributor to the organization’s international growth by consistently delivering double-digit net income growth for over 13 years and sold to private equity in 2006. At GMAC Commercial, Niraj was also responsible for spinning off several new startups (MortgageRamp, Gtel, Epitome Systems, EnableUs, olive), all of which had successful exits to growth equity and corporate community.

Recognized as an award winning innovator and viewed as one of the leading technologists of his generation, Niraj serves on boards and panels, speaks at industry conferences and is frequently quoted. These include the HSBC PA & DE Advisory Board; Microsoft Executive Circle; Eastern Technology Council; the Information Technology Advisory Board of the Fox School of Business, Temple University; the NPower CIO Advisory Council and his executive board experience includes: the Mortgage Industry Standards Maintenance Organization (MISMO) Board of Directors, EnableUS, Epitome Systems, Savana, MortgageRamp, Deskom and GTEL. Niraj graduated with a BBA in information systems and Finance from the Fox School of Business, Temple University.

 

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